1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in printer/copier architecture including a multiple output inverter that serves to interchange the trail edge of a sheet as the lead edge and interchanging the top side of a sheet with the bottom side of the sheet by employing a unique gating system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inverters are used in copiers to enable automatic duplex as color highlighting copying or printing. The main function of an inverter is to interchange the trail edge of a sheet as the lead edge of the sheet and interchange the top side of a sheet with the bottom side of the sheet.
Many prior art printer/copier machines also include gating devices. Such gating devices include at least one removable guide at a crossroad for directing a sheet into a number of paper paths. Gates do not invert copy sheets, rather they serve to direct sheets to a desired path.
Many prior machines employ at least one inverter, as well as, multiple gating stations. However, this structure is cumbersome and require extraneous paper paths.